Game 2011.1: Tigers at Yankees. For lo, the winter is past…

The voice of the turtle, the warmth of the sun, and the superflous bunting adorning every inch of stadium fascia. Every team is in first place and hope abounds. Fresh cut grass, crisp new uni’s, warm dogs and cold beer. It’s difficult to imagine a better day of the year.

I’m working a full day today, but I’ll be sporting my Tigers cufflinks (they contain little pieces of seats from Tigers stadium) and wearing my home cap. Thanks to AppleTV and mlb.tv, I’ll be streaming the game on the TV in our lobby.

Who is going to the game? If you’re not going to the game, how will you watch and/or listen?

54 Comments

Ken in Vegas

March 31, 2011 at 2:28 am

Well, Kevin, I’m going to DVR and then attempt to avoid all human life for the work day so I can enjoy the game with virgin eyes some 8 hours later. I must avoid all texts, all eye contact, all electrical devices. I thought about following on GameCast during work, and then just reliving the action, but that doesn’t really suit my fancy. I’m excited about this year, and excited to share some thoughts with you all along the way. Go Tigers!!

I will be playing hooky from work for my 45th Tiger opening day. During the game I will drink a beer from my ’68 Tiger mug/stein that is only reserved for brewes on Opening Day, when the Tigers clinch the division, or are in playoff or WS games! I have been very thirsty of late!

BTW every season I identify games that Tigers should of won (SOW) or should of loss (SOL). The call is purely subjective but you know it when you see it during a game. My theory is that SOW and SOL balance out over the season. Last season the Tigers had a 7/4 SOW/SOL and in 2009 it was 7/6. Given the tightness of this year’s division, it may be significant. (But, to truely apply this measure on how it impacts the Tigers, you also really need to factor the Twins and White Sox SOW/SOL.) Anyway, throughout the season I will try and call such games on DTW for you opinion as it may be good discussion fodder. Happy Opening Day and may the Turtle sing loud!

scotsw

March 31, 2011 at 9:32 am

Ironic, is it not, that your term for fortunate victories is “SOL”? Normally, we’d think of S.O.L. as meaning just the opposite.

Kevin in Dallas

March 31, 2011 at 9:47 am

I don’t think it’s a coincidence…

TOTFIM – if you could get that data into a google doc somewhere, I’d be happy to post up a permanent link on the site.

Looks like they are going to start the game on time! I was worried I was playing hooky from work for naught. I getting ready to fire up the grill and hopefully watch 9 innings of uninterrupted baseball. Go Tigers!

the ‘high’ in NYC today is 45, and tonight its supposed to snow …sounds like football weather – i guess every AL team can’t open in Tampa or TX

let the games begin!

TSE

March 31, 2011 at 1:23 pm

Well not really happy with that first atbat of AJ. He did well to watch some balls and work the pitch count up, but the big issue that he needs to work on is lowering his strikeouts and improving his batting efficiency, and that is a problem that is fueled by his weak batting mechanics and bad habits that he slips into. On that last pitch, he lifted his leg up way too early and already put it down well before the ball arrived because of the bad timing. It’s not a good sign to see that the first atbat and he’s already taking a sloppy approach, that’s the kind of stuff they need to hammer out in spring training, and if they don’t fix that then he’s going to have all kinds of problems at the plate this year. I wouldn’t be surprised if our hitting coach and Leyland are oblivious to his mechanical problems anyhow, so I guess it’s something he will have to figure out on his own.

TORONTO TIGER

March 31, 2011 at 1:26 pm

It looks like Action Jackson is going to have strikeout problems again. In his first AB, strike three was right down Broadway and he missed it by quite a bit……even I could have hit that pitch……and i’ts not as if Sab is pitching lights out baseball……..Ry & Mags put a ride on the ball in their AB’s……..unfortunately right at Jackson. GO TIGERS!!!!!

TORONTO TIGER

March 31, 2011 at 1:33 pm

I meant right at Granderson. Excitement at the start of the eason and the Tiger’s chances this year got the best of me.

TSE

March 31, 2011 at 1:41 pm

Yeah you are right about that, dude needs some serious hardcore professional hitting instruction. He has so much potential to be a superstar player. Maybe Cabrera can help him out.

And LOL Jeter and his great defensive skills just got tore up. That should have been a line-out. Thanks Derek!

stephen

March 31, 2011 at 4:55 pm

Alas, the giant hole in Jackson’s swing is why Yanks gave up on him.

TSE

March 31, 2011 at 6:16 pm

He has the talent and the raw tools, he just needs a logical hitting coach and he’d be fine. The Yanks didn’t have as much info on him as we do, we had all last year to see him at the ML level and that observation is not something the Yanks had as info when they evaluated him. I watched him closer than any player on the team last year and I saw all kinds of things that I’m certain are totally correctable and any ML Manager and/or Hitting Coach should be able to address and fix his minor flaws, easy peasy. But that starts with DD, cause Leyland and company are ignorant as to what’s going on, they are old and slow at figuring things out, and only DD can order them to get this job done or hire somebody to do it for them and he hasn’t done it. So really this falls into illitch’s lap cause he should be aware of this too and see DD as being incompetent on this area amongst many others.

This team just looked awful today on all kinds of minor things, we just looked like a team that is stuck in spring training and guided by little league quality coaches that aren’t even good for that level, and the Yankees looked like a professional baseball team. It wasn’t a fair competition today, and that sucks.

Mr. X

March 31, 2011 at 1:44 pm

Peralta!

Only Tiger Fan in Mississippi

March 31, 2011 at 1:54 pm

Verlander seems to be come off the mound to his left a lot more than last year? Go Tigers!

Coleman

March 31, 2011 at 1:56 pm

Well that’s @#!!…anybody else trying to watch on MLB At Bat iPhone app? It isn’t working at all for me, even the audio (just a dumb “no volume available” message).

Anyway, it’s always nice to score first, and maybe it’s a good omen to convert our first R3L2O.

In other news, Verlander is on pace to pitch a 200-pitch shutout…

Dre in Chi

March 31, 2011 at 3:22 pm

probably won’t do you any good on your iPhone, but atdhenet.tv is nice

judpma

March 31, 2011 at 2:02 pm

going full out this year..instead of MLB on the computer I’m trying Direct TV extra innings…my only concern is how many games will not be broadcast…..welcome to 2011 everyone from sunny california

Mr. X

March 31, 2011 at 2:05 pm

Sabathia is painting those corners now. Not one pitch was down the middle or even looked hittable.

Mr. X

March 31, 2011 at 2:07 pm

Bunting sure looks stupid when it doesn’t work.

judpma

March 31, 2011 at 2:13 pm

well that 1-0 wasn’t gonna last

Mr. X

March 31, 2011 at 2:14 pm

Teixeira’s not playing this small ball crap anymore. He smoked that 3 run shot.

Mr. X

March 31, 2011 at 2:16 pm

In hindsight, Verlander should of just walked him again.

Coleman

March 31, 2011 at 2:27 pm

Inge!

Mr. X

March 31, 2011 at 2:27 pm

Inge for MVP!

judpma

March 31, 2011 at 2:27 pm

Binge…atta boy

judpma

March 31, 2011 at 2:28 pm

wheres Laird when we need him…at least he used to touch the ball with his bat

Coleman

March 31, 2011 at 2:32 pm

In St. Louis–on the bench, where he belongs

judpma

March 31, 2011 at 2:36 pm

I didn’t think he even belonged there…I thought he’d be in the beer league by now

Coleman

March 31, 2011 at 2:51 pm

Every league is a beer league for the Laird clan

Mr. X

March 31, 2011 at 2:40 pm

bunting sure looks genius when it works

judpma

March 31, 2011 at 2:48 pm

two “colemans ” in one game is a good sign..last three years that runner on third has been such a struggle

Two early off-days, so it appears he’s getting skipped first time through the rotation.

Coleman

March 31, 2011 at 4:28 pm

Ah well. Good start by Verlander; great game for Granderson. Inge got his first dumb throwing error and first checked-swings out of the way…actually he was hitting the ball really well today–that line drive that Granderson caught in center was a good 375 ft. Avila had a rough day, he seemed lost at the plate and behind it….I hate losing the opener; the perfect season is already ruined.

The MLB season is a marathon… but having said that, some marathons are won by a step or two, so each step along can be important… (i.e. game 162)

If the Tigers can come out of April at .500, i’m happy. Pitchers seem to have the the upper hand at the start of the season in cold weather – so let’s hope Tiger pitching follows suit. Verlander looked strong today – you take away the mistake to Texiera, he pitches 6 innings of shutout ball against the Yankees…impressive.

Assumption, not supported by data: the Tigers have been know to struggle at the plate in cold weather.

TSE

March 31, 2011 at 6:19 pm

Well we don’t have very many qualified hitters. Rhymes and Avila and Peralta were all hitless today, and that’s going to be the weakness of the team all year long. Inge is not so special either, but I’m predicting him to do a little bit better this year cause it sounds like he might finally be healthy, and we already have a pretty decent long-term possible replacement if Castellanos pans out later, so I’m not dwelling on him. The triangle of SS / 2B / C is going to be a team killer all year long. That’s our 3-headed monster of the greatest weakness on the team.

Steve

March 31, 2011 at 7:26 pm

Guys its one game, some looked good and some didn’t. Lets give it a bit, I think we will have some good times ahead

TSE

March 31, 2011 at 7:31 pm

Sorry man, it’s not one game, it’s been HUNDREDS of games that we have the same mismanaged team and mismanaged games by DD and Leyland. I’ve seen enough beyond hundreds of games enough. Good times are ahead is true as that’s inevitable with any sports franchise that you’re bound to have a few good games here and there and momentary periods of excitement. But the franchise has me worried, and it’s always better to confront a problem than to procrastinate and just let value wither away.

Mr. X

March 31, 2011 at 7:54 pm

We probably faced one of the best pitching tandems (Sabathia, Joba, Soriano, Rivera) in the entire American League Today. Those guys will make everyone look bad.

TSE

March 31, 2011 at 9:12 pm

Yeah that’s true, at least we scored 3 runs, and we did beat them 6 hits to 5. Although we also used our best pitcher in the game too. It will obviously get easier than playing the Yankees on the road for most future games, so that’s a good sign.

kathy

March 31, 2011 at 9:50 pm

The game was good except for the score. Having calmed down and looked at the box scores, both teams had 1 error. They had the big HR. Avila had an awful game. Hope we get the next one.

Mr. X

April 1, 2011 at 2:33 pm

I think Avila gained some valuable experience though. If he’s going to be our catcher of the present and future, he needs to play against the best pitchers so that he can further develop.

TSE

April 1, 2011 at 4:53 pm

I have serious doubts that he can be our catcher of the future. I’ve never liked the guy and consider that position to be a big weakness. I just don’t believe he will ever be a quality hitter. I think we have catcher prospects in our system that are more likely to be our catcher of the future than Avila, and if not them, then we need to find one.

Well I’m not an expert on Lance Parrish’s game as he was on the team a little before my time. Yeah I have seen him play, but not to the level that I watch baseball nowadays. See I’m 32 years old now, and Lance’s career basically spanned the first half of my life when I didn’t watch baseball very often, and when I did I didn’t know what I was watching nor did I understand the game. I watch a lot of baseball and have an acute eye for it now, so my perspective and appreciation for the game is quite a bit different. From looking at the stats, it looked like Parrish was great on defense and throwing guys out, well above Avila’s level. He also had pretty decent power, he pulled off a .440 SLG for his career on only a .250 average. Both guys clearly aren’t stud hitters, but if you can’t hit for average then you better have the power if you want to have any chance winding up respectable, and Parrish was able to consistently hit for power throughout this career.

Avila hasn’t shown that he can hit for average or power, or throw guys out to Parrish’s level, each of those 3 departments concern me with respect to him. It’s still early, but if you pull up the stats sheets of each player, you will see that even on that early time, Parrish had tons of HRs, and right after that sample time he followed up with 19 and 24 homers on the year in the following 2 seasons after that. So is Avila going to hit 20+ homers this year? If so, then that’s good, but until he’s on that pace I’m going to remain nervous. Plus, the last year in the minors Parrish had a .519 SLG compared to Avila’s .450. So that is less encouraging that Avila is going to ever supply an adequate bat.

And then also I’m loosely looking at our other catcher prospects, and we obviously have nobody that is a total stud, but I just think that Avila is more interesting for his family ties to the team than being a productive baseball player, that’s just my hunch. Hopefully he has a good season, cause if he doesn’t then I’m not going to see any reason why he should have a roster spot in the future. And I already think we should have traded for a new catcher by now too. Avila would be maybe a guy I would keep to be the backup, but we need a star catcher added to this team if we aren’t going to obtain a star SS or 2B. Those are the 3 critical spots of our team that we needed to make a major addition to, one way or another.

jim b

April 2, 2011 at 8:03 am

what was leyland thinking? first he starts avila against sabathia and then he brings in coke who is now a starter. good teams need to be strong up the middle and the tigers are not.

Mr. X

April 2, 2011 at 11:34 am

Leyland had enough common sense to look at the upcoming schedule and decide to skip Coke in the rotation because we have a few days off (yesterday and this coming Tuesday). Coke’s 1st start is scheduled to be on April 9th. This was in the news a few weeks ago.
Link:The Phil Coke News

We should expect to see Coke come out of the pen a few more time from now until then.

Latest Comments

Coleman http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=12413132&categoryid=2521705
On the other hand, Verlander is "confident" and "ready to go," so there's that.

Smoking Loon Good article, Kevin.
Did anyone else have the thought last year that perhaps the biggest problem with Verlander was... predictability? He

Kevin in Dallas Neither does this story.
http://www.mlive.com/tigers/index.ssf/2015/02/detroit_tigers_bring_back_righ_1.html

Kevin in Dallas This picture does not instill a whole bunch of confidence.
http://www.mlive.com/tigers/#/0

Coleman Check out this one: http://www.mlive.com/tigers/index.ssf/2015/02/report_relief_pitcher_joba_cha.html#incart_more_sports
He shaved the beard! And looks like he dropped a few pounds too.

StorminNorman$ http://m.tigers.mlb.com/news/article/110232762/joba-chamberlain-signs-with-detroit-tigers
low price, potential high yield... or maybe not. Whatever the case, Joba certainly said all the right things.

Jim EggersUSMC I concur K in D, am hoping for a good but not great season from JV. Seemed to me he

StorminNorman$ Great info/research Kevin! One point to clarify and factor into the analysis: JV did make $20M last year, but

Coleman Verlander had core muscle surgery last January. Could it be, at his age, and with the type of pitcher he

Jim EggersUSMC I am sorry to hear that, was looking forward to your blunt and accurate reports... as far as next year